COVID-19

[fifal9]

Things aren't as bad in my state as some of the coast-line states.
There's fewer than 100 'confirmed cases' and only 1 death so far.
I put 'confirmed' in quotes because they are only testing about 100 people a day, so who really knows.

All the schools, libraries, etc are closed until the end of the month. I'm not sure how much good it will do considering what i read from the CDC about school closures here:

Modeling data for other respiratory infections where children have higher disease impacts, suggests that early short-term closures are not impactful in terms of overall transmission.
Social mixing may still occur outside of school with less ability to monitor, especially among older students.
Will increase risk to older adults or those with co-morbidities, as almost 40% of US grandparents provide childcare for grandchildren. School closures will likely increase this percentage.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/considerations-for-school-closure.pdf

My company sent out notice yesterday that all employees world-wide should work from home until the end of the month as well. I was already home because I have a cough and I'm on anti-biotics. I'm pretty sure it's not corona, but just a lingering of the pneumonia I had in January. As a mild agoraphobe I'm actually a little excited - not about corona of course, but being isolated for 2 weeks is like a dream come true even if I have to sit at my desk for 8 hours a day. It's WAY better than a 2 hour commute (1 hour each way) on trains and by car and occasional bus to downtown area to work in a sky-scraper full of people in business suits.

I've ordered groceries and can't get delivery for 2 days. The main thing I hear people complaining about is a lack of toilet paper and sanitizer at the stores. People are saying they will buy bidets if they can't find TP soon. But you still have to dry it off right? Do people really shoot cold water at their nethers and then just leave them wet?

It's crazy times. Be safe guys.

[enginist]

If you get it, these are the rough odds.


Age       Chance of Dying     With Underlying Condition
30s              1 %                              2 %
40s              2                                  3
50s              3                                  5
60s              5                                 10
70s              10                               20
80s              20                               40

Heart disease patients have it the worst, followed by those with lung conditions.  Transplants and dialysis patients aren't that far behind.

[Cupcake]

fifal9- those new fancy Japanese toilets (Toto is one brand) that are like bidets also have a blow dryer. Maybe that's what they mean.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Here's one of the articles that mention bidet use as an alternative: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-forget-toilet-paper-hoarding-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-lets-seize/

I’ve used a few bidets in my day (as well as Toto toilets at hotels) so I can give a little insight.

There is a lot of attention on the Tushy right now as it is an example of a simple attachment to an already in place toilet. It sprays water and yes, you still require toilet paper and have to pat yourself dry. (The toilet paper obviously gets tossed into the toilet). It said "Pat dry" as a final step for use when I looked at it awhile ago.



So, if looking for a simple attachment or an actual bidet make sure that it has a drying feature, not just the water spray. Not all come with it.



In some cases, and this just makes me squirm, but there is a cotton towel (terry cloth or whatever) beside the bidet on a towel ring as a way to dry off after the stream of water. Witnessed it more than I'd like to admit. Thank goodness for tissue packs for purses.

[MooseMom]

What about voting?

My state is one of those whose primary elections are this Tuesday 17 March.  My usual polling place is in a quiet residential area; I usually vote in the middle of the day, so I've never had to wait in line to cast my ballot and don't anticipate having to do that this year, either.  But still, I hope the polling station has hand sanitizer available, and I hope they regularly wipe down the machines.

And I hope not too many people stay home and don't vote at all.

[Paul]

What about voting?
My state is one of those whose primary elections are this Tuesday 17 March. 

London had a mayoral election scheduled for a few weeks time, that has been put off for a year. This simply means that the current mayor lasts an extra year. So if you can take an extra year of Trump.....

[MooseMom]

London had a mayoral election scheduled for a few weeks time, that has been put off for a year. This simply means that the current mayor lasts an extra year. So if you can take an extra year of Trump.....

Well, this is a primary election.  This is to decide who will run for office(s) in the general election in November.

Many states have already had their primary, but my state has not.  I am not sure what would happen if it was decided that, essentially, only two thirds of the country gets to vote.  The supporters of the candidate who are currently behind in the race would not be best pleased as they need to pick up more delegates before the conventions in the summer.

We are all in the process of voting not just on who will be opposing President Trump in November, but we are also voting for candidates in Congress, but Federal and at the State level.  There are also loads of local elections at stake.

It gets complicated.

I'm just waiting for the President to declare that the November general election must be cancelled.

[enginist]

Under the Emergency Powers Act, he could cancel the election and declare himself President-for-Life.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

This article came out a couple days ago and places tx patients right in the middle. Obviously nothing that we don't know but at least highlight the risk we don't know much about this virus yet. I'm really concerned for my friend with a lung transplant.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/everything-can-kill-me-for-transplant-patients-shortage-of-hand-sanitizer-a-matter-of-life-and-death

[Paul]

Well, this is a primary election.  This is to decide who will run for office(s) in the general election in November.

Yeah, I know. My point was that if you postpone the presidential election you could postpone the primaries. But the downside is another year of Trump.

[Paul]

Under the Emergency Powers Act, he could cancel the election and declare himself President-for-Life.[/size]

Shut up you fool, he will hear you!.

[enginist]

Fortunately, Paul, I was joking.  The 22nd Amendment, limiting presidents to two four-year terms, was passed by Congress in 1947.  The virus will end up being Trump's and Boris Johnson's worst nightmare.

[Paul]

Fortunately, Paul, I was joking.

Yeah but when someone suggested that Trump should be president, they were only joking too, and look what happened there!

(Ditto Johnson for Prime Minister.)

[enginist]

Right, the unthinkable happened.  Twice.

[Paul]

Right, the unthinkable happened.  Twice.

Then, as a punishment for voting those two idiots in, we all get to die!

[enginist]

If the average IQ is 100, then our collective intelligence isn't very high.  So we get Beavis and Butthead, the leaders we deserve.

[MooseMom]

I keep looking for stories about tx patients who have fallen ill with covid-19 and have survived.  This article is about 2 heart tx patients, but the issues are generally the same, I would assume, immunosuppressively speaking...

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/03/18/2002847/0/en/JHLT-releases-first-reports-of-heart-transplant-recipients-infected-with-COVID-19.html

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Hmm, interesting. Thanks for sourcing that!

[iolaire]

Both patients survived the event.   

[enginist]

There's much that we don't know about this virus, but a lot depends on whether you have access to a hospital bed.  In Italy it seems to be either a bed or a coffin.

[enginist]

Here is a very sensible take from a doctor who advocates testing and protecting only the most vulnerable among us--the elderly and those with underlying conditions.  He argues that a blanket stay-at-home order is too broad and economically destructive, a hammer where a needle is required.  The same applies to social distancing, flattening the curve, and all the other emergency measures that seemed at first to make a lot of sense.  Right now, he says, in fear of doing too little, too late, we are doing just the opposite, which is too much, too soon.  His conclusion: our limited resources should be reserved for populations at the greatest risk. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/opinion/coronavirus-pandemic-social-distancing.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

[enginist]

But then you read a report like this, concerning patients in their 40s who are otherwise healthy, and you realize that we're in for a world of hurt.

https://www.propublica.org/article/a-medical-worker-describes--terrifying-lung-failure-from-covid19-even-in-his-young-patients?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations

[MooseMom]

Well, I'm officially nervous.

We stayed up late drinking wine and watching "Emma", and I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache.  I haven't really felt right since I fell over a month ago, and again last night, I woke up several times with my leg and shoulder hurting.

I feel generally unwell but not with symptoms of the virus, but I admit to starting to feel quite anxious overall.

Then, about an hour ago, my husband was told by his boss that one of the secretaries has been exposed and is under self-quarantine, so the legal dept. in which my husband works is now shut for at least this upcoming week.

And that's what makes me officially nervous.

[iolaire]

Let’s hope the headache is from the wine. Best wishes.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

As iolaire said, let's hope the headache is from the wine.

You can scroll up in this thread (or the other thread) and see that I mentioned my husband was at a convention with a guy that tested positive for the virus. He was told to monitor his symptoms for 14 days. Your anxiety is totally expected! I felt it too! The good news is that he didn't become symptomatic and therefore I never got sick. So, there is that to consider, but at the same time, make sure to monitor how you feel.